> The Neo-Equestrian Chronicles
>  by The Sorrow Of Joy
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Julia "Rainbow" Dash (Prolouge 1)
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

 “Hey! Yo Dash! Wake up, girl, you gotta get your head together!”

Julia struggled to wake herself up from her stupor. She literally got three hours of sleep the night before and was having trouble getting out of bed, but the sky over Equitem had to be cleared. She spoke into the radio after yawning.

“Don’t worry about me, Thunderlane, I got it!” Dash said as she adjusted herself in her seat. Thunderlane’s booming voice over the radio was enough of a shock to wake her up.

“Well hurry up then! You’ve been hovering there for five minutes! Soarin’s gonna have our asses if we don’t clear these clouds by noon,” Thunderlane said from the other side of the radio. 

“Hah! I’ll have it done in no time at all! Get the timer ready,” Julia said as she gripped the controls of the jet tightly. She began to breathe slowly, trying to remain calm and focused. 

“That’s my Dash! Alright… Go!”

Time stood still for a moment for Julia. She felt and heard the roar of the crystal engines. For the slightest moment, she felt as if she and the plane were one. The jet shot through the clouds faster than you could blink. Julia expertly maneuvered the plane through the clouds, dissipating the clouds behind her. To the untrained eye, she was nothing but a blur, however, to fellow Cloudwalkers, Julia made cloud clearing look like an art. After only a few moments, the once cloudy sky over Equitem was clear as crystal. Dash slowed her jet down and turned it towards Cloudsdale.  Every time she cleared the clouds, she got a huge rush that was a feeling unlike anything in the world to her. Even now her heart was thumping loudly. Thunderlane appeared from above and began to fly along side Julia.

“Damn! Another fantastic performance by Rainbow Dash!” Thunderlane said over the radio, laughing.

“Yeah, it was pretty awesome,” Julia said cockily. “What was my time?”

“Ten seconds flat! That’s one for the record books,” Thunderlane said back. “Hey, wanna race back? Loser buys drinks for the gang!” Thunderlane barely finished his sentence before he realized that he was staring at the back of Julia’s jet. He shook his head and grinned before he took off after her.


Julia walked out of the locker room only to find Thunderlane and the rest of the gang waiting outside. They all ran up to a surprised Dash and gave her a big cheer as Thunderlane hoisted her into the air. 

“H-hey! What’s all this about?” Julia said while being paraded around on Thunder’s shoulders.

“Don’t tell me you’ve forgotten your own birthday,” Thunderlane said. “We’re gonna treat you to night on the town. Dinner, drinks, and a damn good time!”

“Aw, you guys didn’t have to do this,” Julia said as Thunderlane set her down. 

“Are you kidding? We’re your friends, right? Besides, Erika insisted on it,” Thunderlane said. “Right, Flutter?”

Julia hadn’t noticed Erika standing in the back of the group, hiding behind the others. She was hanging her head, but when everyone turned towards her, she looked up briefly at Julia. “Yeah, I mean… It was the least I could do,” Erika said softly.

“Thanks. It really means a lot,” Julia said with a smile. Erika shrunk back in embarrassment. 

“What are we waiting for? Let’s get going!” Thunderlane said followed by a cheer by their cohorts. The group walked together towards the hangers, chattering along the way. 

“Hey, Thunder, where are you guys taking me?” Julia asked.

“I was thinking Manehattan. I know this great place that me and my sis used to hit up all the time down by the Broncs,” Thunderlane said as they reached the hangers. “Alright, saddle up!”

The group entered and scattered in the darkness of the giant building. Despite the darkness, Julia didn’t need light to know where here ride was. By memory, she walked over to her bike and hopped on. She smiled as she inserted the keys and watched the entire bike begin to shine with the light of the crystal engines. The bike gave a satisfying growl when she revved it up. Soon, the entire hanger was filled with crystal luminescence and the sound of engines being turned on. As soon as the hanger doors opened, Julia and the rest of her group sped out, heading straight towards the edge of the clouds. One by one, the bikes sped off the side of the edge of the floating city into the clouds below. Julia drove off last and saw her companions below her, heading nose down towards the ground. They stuck to a free-fall for a while, but once they had gotten below Cloudsdale, they pulled up sharply and let the jets kick in.  The flying machines slowed to a halt in midair. The group came together in a circle and Thunderlane spoke up.

“Alright, just follow me. Once we get over to the Broncs, descend to ground level and switch to ground mode. It’s a no fly zone above there, got it?” Thunder said. Everyone gave an understanding nod.

“Can we stop by the bakery on the way?” a voice piped up from behind Thunderlane. “I’m running out of muffins…”

“Whatever you say, Suzy,” Thunderlane said with a chuckle. Suzy gave a squeal of joy and sped ahead of the group full of excitement. “Hey! Wait up!” Thunderlane went off after her, and the rest of the group followed, laughing. Julia smiled as she rode through the sky, knowing that tonight was going to be the best night ever.



> Diana Pinkamena (Prolouge 2)
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

 “Goodnight Las Pegasus! I love you all!” Diana said into the microphone. Her fans gathered at the stadium gave a gigantic cheer as the pyrotechnics shot up around Diana. She gave one last wave as she walked off the stage. The jumbotron behind her changed from a close up of her and her backup singers to an image displaying multicolored words reading “PINKIE PIE LIVE”. As she went back stage, she was greeted by a cheery crew member holding out a water bottle. Diana took the bottle and smiled at the crewman as he ran off to attend to the other singers. She walked towards her dressing room, weaving through the bustling backstage crew. Finally, after a little pushing and shoving, she reached her dressing room door and pushed it open. She walked wearily towards the couch and collapsed upon it. Finally, after two long weeks, she had finally finished her tour of Equestria. Pinkie Pie was an enormous success. Even though she had only been in show business for a year, Diana had already achieved pop stardom with millions of fans. She had also amassed a massive amount of money off her concerts, making her one of the most successful rising pop artists in the last decade. At her current rate, she would assuredly become immortalized as one of the greatest singers of her generation. She was living the life everybody dreamed they could have.

But she hated it.

At first she loved the attention, the glamour, the glory. But the demanding pace was putting a great strain on her. She still loved putting smiles on the faces of her fans, but she hated having to do one show after the next without any rest. Her social life suffered greatly too. She had lost connections with many of her old friends and even her own parents. She was tired of it all. So, after thinking it over, she decided to retire the Pinkie Pie name and return to her hometown of Equitem. Diana was able to reach an old friend who said she was happy to let her stay with her and her family. Diana smiled as she laid back on the couch, thinking about finally getting some rest and relaxation. She was in the midst of her musings when she heard a knock at the door. 

“Come in!” Diana called. Even when she was exhausted, her voice was still cheery and sweet. The door opened to reveal an enormous, tall, well built man dressed in a black suit. He had sunglasses on his face and a radio in his ear.

“Your limo is waiting, Missus Diana,” the man said in a deep voice. “Whenever you’re ready, we’ll escort you.”

“I’ll be right out!” Diana said to the man. The security guard gave a stiff nod before closing the door again. Diana sighed as she rose from the couch. She grabbed her bag and the rest of her belongings before looking around at the dressing room one last time. “Adios, dressing room! You won’t be missed!” 

She walked out of her room and was greeted by the same giant security guard accompanied by three other equally large guards. They formed a wall that looked sturdy enough to hold off armies around Diana. The group moved with precision towards the double door exit. They stopped right before the doors and remained silent for a moment. Outside, they could hear the screams and shouts of the mass of fans outside the doors.

“Alright, I want you two behind Missus Diana. Me and James will be in front,” said one of the guards. “Would you like us to put up a barrier, Missus Diana?”

“No thanks! It gets waaay too stuffy in that bubble,” Diana said. 

The guard nodded and signaled the other guards to assume their positions. Once the men were in formation, the leader gave one final nod before opening the doors. The barrage of camera flashes and screaming fans was instantaneous. Hundreds of roaring followers were reaching out over the ropes with cameras and autograph books, hoping to get a piece of Pinkie Pie of their own. Diana signed a few autographs before finally reaching her limousine. The lead guard opened the door for Diana and motioned her inside. She smiled at the guard and jumped in. The titanic man held the door open for a moment as he fumbled for something in his back pocket. From it, he pulled out a little notebook and a pen and held it towards Diana. She gave a laugh as she signed it and handed it back to the guard. He gave her a brief smile and a nod before he closed the door to the limo. The car drove down the street, leaving the crowd behind. Diana slumped back in her seat and breathed out sigh of exhaustion. She found the leather seats of the limo to be very comfortable and this was one of the few things that she would miss, but not terribly so. She adjusted herself to tap on the glass of the partition. The driver lowered it immediately.

“Yes, Miss Diana?” the driver said cordially.

“Where are we heading?” Diana asked.

“Straight to the airport, as you requested,” he responded. “The cooler has the cupcakes you requested as well.”

“Alright!” Diana said joyfully. 

She fell back into her seat and opened the cooler by the seat. She reached in and pulled out a colorful cupcake. She tucked into the cupcake as she looked out of the windows to see the bright casino lights. Come tomorrow, she wouldn’t have to be around these bright city lights anymore. One more thing she wouldn’t care to miss. She was, however, going to miss one thing about living as a star. Deep down inside, she really hoped the people of her little home town of Equitem knew how to do one little thing.

How to party.

> Victoria Raines (Prolouge 3)
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Victoria writhed nervously as she watched her guests inspect her designs. Never before have her designs been put out for display for such important people; three titans of the fashion industry were looking at her dresses. The trio was scrutinizing the designs closely, as a hawk would its prey before descending upon it. Each passing moment was an hour to her, a torment without end. It was only about five minutes before one of the three illustrious guests spoke up.

“I really like the way the colors compliment on this one,” the one said, removing his red tinted sunglasses to inspect the dress closer.

“Yes, and the design is simple yet elegant,” another said. “I just have to have this one!”

“Absolutely amazing. Where did you come up for the concept behind this design?” the last said, turning to Victoria. Victoria stood in a daze, not fully realizing that she had been spoken to. She snapped to attention after a couple of seconds.

“O-oh! It just came to me,” Victoria stuttered through a halfhearted smile. “I-I find inspiration everywhere!”

“Very impressive. And how much would you be willing to price this dress at?” the last man responded. He was a rather short man, only half the size of Victoria, who wasn’t very tall at all. 

“U-uh, let’s see…” Victoria had never really thought about prices up until now. She tried to add up the costs of materials, assembly time, and quality. She blurted out a number. “Six hundred?”

“Impossible,” the other man said, who towered above all others in the room. Victoria shrunk back humiliation. She knew she shouldn’t have priced it so high.

“It would be an embarrassment to you and me. I’ll give you eight hundred.”

Victoria nearly fainted.

“Yes, I agree with Kager. Six hundred is simply too low a price,” the woman said. “I’ll take fifty of them. Can you do fifty?”

“Y-yes! Of course I can!” Victoria said, absolutely stunned. She couldn’t believe it. They were really going to buy her designs!

“Yes, I too would like fifty for my store in Canterlot,” the short man said.

“I’ll showcase this in my next fashion shoot if you will permit me, Miss Raines,” Kager said as he caressed the dress as one would a small animal.

Victoria made sure she wasn’t dreaming before she responded. “A-absolutely! Just tell me when you need them and I’ll be right on it!”

“I foresee us talking again in the future, Miss Raines. Now if you will excuse me, my ride is waiting outside,” Kager said as he grabbed his hat from the chair behind him. “I’ll contact you later in regard to the dresses. Good day!” Kager waved before leaving the room.

“Miss Raines! It was a pleasure meeting you!” the woman said in a cheery voice as she took Victoria’s hand and held it gently for a second in both hands. When she removed them, Victoria found herself in possession of a small paper. “My number. Call me and we can discuss the orders. Ciao!” And with that, she strode out of the room.

The smallest man came up to Victoria and gave her a gentle handshake. “Well Miss Raines, it was a great pleasure. I’ll make sure you’re dresses get the front window at my store,” the man said as he let go of her hand.

“Thank you, Mr. Maximoff. It was an honor meeting you,” Victoria said calmly with much effort. 

“Please, only my clients call me that. Call me Hector,” said Hector. “Bye-bye!”

“Good bye Mister- I mean, Hector,” Victoria said as she waved the little man off. When the last guest walked out the door, Victoria fell back onto a nearby chair. She was in a state of absolute disbelief. Was she dreaming? It was all so surreal. She gently pinched herself on the cheek, half jokingly but also just to see if this really was reality. She called out through the house. “Elizabeth! Come here Elizabeth!”

“Alright sis, one sec!” a cheery voice called from somewhere else in the house. A minute later a girl dressed in a white dress appeared at the door way holding a cat that definitely didn’t want to be held. 

“I did it! They liked my design!” Victoria said, jumping from her chair and sweeping up Elizabeth in a big hug, cat and all. 

”That’s great sis! How many do they want?” Elizabeth asked, still in her sister’s arms. The mouser was writhing around in discomfort.

“A hundred and one! Amazing isn’t it?” Victoria said as she tightened her hold on Elizabeth. The furball gave a cry and shot itself out of the sister’s embrace. 

“Sounds big sis,” Elizabeth said, beginning to feel a little sympathetic of the cat. “You should get started soon then.”

“Oh my! You’re right! Get my things ready! Ring up the Diamond Dogs! Clear my schedule! We’ve got to get to work right now!” Victoria said excitedly, throwing Elizabeth out of her arms. 

“Uh, sis? I didn’t mean that you should start right now,” Elizabeth said as she straightened out her dress. “Its ten thirty and you’ve been up since five. You need rest.” Victoria wasn’t paying attention to Elizabeth anymore. She was too busy pulling things out of cupboards and storage cabinets. All manner of objects were being suspended in the air by Victoria’s magic, but it seemed as though this was not intentional when Elizabeth noticed the poor mouser somersaulting in the air helplessly. Elizabeth merely shook her head and smiled, leaving Victoria to her creations. Her sister meant well, but she worked herself too hard sometimes. But that’s what she liked most about her sister and she wouldn’t want anybody else to replace her.

> Jessica Aurora (True Prolouge)
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Jessica desperately tried to cover her tears from her parents as she bid them goodbye. This was already hard enough on them, and she didn’t want an image of their daughter crying as their last memory of her before she left.

“Now Jess, make sure you write to us every once and a while,” said Jess’s father. He gave a somber laugh.  “Don’t forget that we’re still here, alright?”

“Don’t worry, dad, I won’t,” Jessica replied. She looked into her father’s eyes, eyes which she had never seen a single tear form in her life, and saw a faint, glistening drop form, yet it did not fall. She smiled at him and hugged him, giving him a loving kiss on the cheek. They let go of each other and Jessica faced her mother, unrestrained tears flowing down her face. 

“Come visit every now and then, won’t you dear?” Jessica’s mother said in a choked voice. “At least during the holidays.”

“I’ll try as much as I can. And you can be certain that I’ll be here for Hearths Warming,” Jessica said. Her mother grabbed her and gave her a great, tight hug. She returned the affection equally. When the two left each other’s arms, Jessica could see a sorrowful smile on her mother’s face through the tears. 

“Well, I guess this is it,” Jessica said as she backed away and grabbed her suitcase from the floor. She was about to say goodbye when she heard a commotion coming from the house behind her parents. The front door burst open, revealing a short figure in the doorway, carrying a tremendous bag. 

“Don’t forget about me!” the boy said as he rushed over to stand near Jessica. 

“Of course we won’t, Donny,” Jessica’s father said as he laughed at Donny’s oversized bag. 

“We’ll never forget what you’ve done for us here,” Jessica’s mother said, smiling. “Take care of Jess for us.”

“You can count on me, Mrs. Aurora!” said Donny. He gave a military salute, dropping his bag in the process. The group laughed as Donny struggled to lift his bag once more.

“I sure hope you take better care of her than you do that bag!” Jessica’s father joked as he went over to help Donny with his luggage. Once the young Dragon-half had reclaimed his bag, Jessica gave one last goodbye to her parents before starting down the street towards the castle. She looked back once, seeing her parents still looking in her direction, and they continued to look towards her until she disappeared entirely from view. Together, Donny and Jessica walked in silence down the lamp lit streets. The only sounds were those of the occasional passing young couple, whispering sweet nothings to each other in the warm summer night, and the incessant barks and yelps of the dogs that roamed the night streets. Each of the pair was deep in thought, wondering how their new life would be outside of the walls of Canterlot. It was Donny who finally broke the silence as they approached the grand stairway to the castle.

“I can’t believe it. I’m finally going to see the world outside of Canterlot!” Donny said excitedly.

“Yeah. I hope it’s as pretty as the pictures in my books,” Jessica said, adjusting the glasses on her face.

“Maybe even prettier!” Donny replied.

Silence fell between the two once more as they ascended the hundred steps to the castle. At the top, they were greeted by two guards, adorned in glimmering armor, who stood resolutely in front of the grand gates. Jessica approached the gates, only to bump nose first into what felt like a wall. She rubbed her nose as she saw a glowing wall of light before her.

“Hey! Let us through!” she exclaimed to the guards.

“Sorry ma’am. No visitors at night,” said the guard to her right. The guard on the left turned to his partner and gave him an odd look.

“But the queen is expecting us!” said Jessica.

“Sorry, but I have my orders,” said the guard. “You’ll just have to return in the morning, Twi.”

“This is absurd! I need to see the-!” she stopped suddenly. Nobody except for one person called her Twi. She approached the guard slowly, stopping when she saw a smirk on the guards face.

“Gotcha!” said the guard, his smirk growing into a smile.

“Erik!” Jessica exclaimed as she attempted to hug her brother despite his armor. “I thought you were off defending the Crystal Kingdom!”

“I was, but Her Majesty sent in someone else to relieve me from my duties,” said Erik. “I just got back this morning. Mom and dad told me the news, and I would have stayed to meet you, but Her Majesty wanted me back at the castle immediately.”

“I don’t know what to say. I haven’t seen you in months and now that you’re back, I have to leave,” Jessica said sorrowfully. She was also slightly angry at herself for leaving for the optional Saturday classes at the academy that morning.

“Hey, look, how about I come visit you sometime? Next time I’m relieved of my duties, I’ll stop by,” Erik said, trying to comfort his sister. 

“Sure. That sounds great,” Jessica responded, smiling. She could feel Donny tugging at her jacket.

“Jess, we don’t want to keep Celestia waiting!” Donny urged.

“Spike’s tagging along with you too, huh?” Erik said, looking at the teenage Dragon-half juggling with a large bag. “Well, I guess he’s right. Better let you guys through now.” He nodded to his partner on the other side of the gate. The wall of light disappeared and the gates slowly opened inwards. 

“Bye, Erik. Stay safe,” Jessica said softly. She went up to her brother and gave him a big hug despite his armor.

“You too,” Erik replied as he let Jessica go. He stopped Donny before he went through the gates and extended his hand in a fist. “Stay cool, man.”

Donny, juggling his bag, bumped fists with Erik. 

“You know it,” Spike replied before running  to catch up with Jessica.

The pair walked through the great doors of the castle.  The greeting chamber was dark, illuminated only by the moonlight peering in through the stained glass windows. Then, suddenly, the entire chamber began to fill with light as the doors at the other end of the chamber opened. From these doors emerged a radiant figure adorned in a shimmering white dress who appeared to cast light all throughout the chamber. She towered above them, reaching what Jessica thought to be at least ten feet, yet she carried herself gracefully and seemed to glide along the ground. The being slowly approached the Jessica and Donny, who kneeled when she came near.

“There’s no need for that, you two,” Celestia said softly. “You are my friends, after all.”

“That doesn’t mean I can’t show respect,” Jessica said as she stood back up. “Are we leaving right now?”

“Yes. My airship is ready and waiting outside,” Celestia responded. “Are you fully prepared?”

Jessica and Donny both nodded.

“Very well. Follow me.”

The trio made their way through the grand hallways illuminated by Celestia until they finally arrived at the gardens. The gardens were always peaceful and beautiful at night, but they did not see the usual moonlit landscape. Instead, they were greeted by the queen’s private airship, The Alicorn, silently sitting in the middle of the lush green. 

“Man, what a beauty!” Donny said as he stared in awe of the vessel.

“Like it? Then it’s yours,” said the queen with a smile. They young Dragon-half turned to the queen, mouth agape in disbelief. 
“Seriously? No way!”

“Go ahead. Get a feel for it.”

Donny approached the airship and entered it through the stairs it had extended onto the ground. He waved excitedly to Jessica from the cockpit. She waved back, smiling.

“Don’t worry, Jessica, I have given you a gift as well,” Celestia assured Jessica. “I know how much you love your books, so I have given you the Archives for you to live and stay at. After all, what point would there be in sending you to live a life of your own if you don’t even have a place to live?”

“Really?” Jessica said, amazed. “Thank you very much, Your Majesty!” The radiant queen put her hand on Jessica’s shoulder and gave a slight smile. The young Spellweaver smiled back, but she could not hold back the tears that were building up behind her eyes. Celestia wrapped her apprentice in a warm embrace, holding her tightly as if she were her own daughter. When the two separated, Jessica took off her glasses to wipe away the tears.

“Don’t be sad, Jessica. We will still be able to meet each other,” Celestia said without the slightest bit of sadness in her voice. She didn’t want to make it harder on Jessica than she needed to. “Besides, you can always write to me.”
“Of course I will. I’ll write to everyone,” Jessica said, sniffling. “I… I guess I should go now. It’s pretty late.”

“Goodbye, my protégé,” said the queen. “I wish you luck in your new life. Farewell!” 

Jessica gave one last goodbye to Celestia before she proceeded to board the aircraft. As she walked to the ship, she wiped the remainder of the sadness from her face, trying to tell herself that she would see all these people again someday. She seated herself next to the excited pilot of the airship and placed her bags behind the seat. 

“Ready, Jess?” Donny said as he gripped the controls tightly.

“Ready!” Jessica said as she strapped herself in.

The engines roared as the aircraft slowly raised itself above the gardens, the castle, Canterlot. Once the ship had gained enough altitude, Donny slowly maneuvered the ship forward, gradually gaining speed until it was speeding through the night sky. As the last traces of the Golden City faded away from view, a whole new span of scenery appeared before them. Through the clouds, Jessica could catch glimpses and the fleeting glimmers of lights below. But aside from that, the rest of the world was shrouded with midnight darkness that not even the kiss of the moonlight could penetrate. She gave up on trying to see through it, and instead sunk into her seat. She felt her eyes slowly beginning to close, succumbing to the fatigue of the day.

Jessica drifted off to sleep to the soft hum of the engines, dreaming of her new life in Equitem.

> Chapter 1: Morning
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Goooooood morning Equestria! It’s another beautiful morning here in Manehattan…

Jessica buried herself deeper into her covers to deafen the sound of the television. She would not have her Saturday morning ruined.

From below, the soft sound of grease sizzling in the pan could be heard, followed by a powerful, sweet aroma enough to make even the fiercest dragon swoon in delight.

Jessica, upon the arrival of the fragrance, was out of bed and downstairs in an instant. 

She sat herself down at the table, still rubbing the morning out of her eyes. She set her half-awake sight on The Equitem Chronicle lying on the table just out of reach. The newspaper was surrounded in a soft purple light as it lifted itself a few inches off the table, glide towards Jessica, and fold itself neatly to the front page. She was busy reading the cover story about a local DJ making it big in the Manehattan clubs when Donny set a plate stacked high with flapjacks next to Jessica. 

“Just the way you like them,” Donny said cheerily.

“Thanks, Spike,” Jessica responded lethargically. 

Donny went back to the stove to make his own stack when something caught Jessica’s attention on the television. It showed a reporter standing in a familiar locale that she couldn’t quite name, and the banner below her read “POP STAR RETIRES AT ONLY 19”. She made the remote fly into her hand and raised the volume higher.

“… Last night, pop star and international sensation Pinkie Pie declared her departure from the music industry only three days after the end of her Smile tour,” piped the reporter.

“Pinkie Pie isn’t making music anymore?” Donny said over his shoulder, still flipping his pancakes. “Bummer. She was really good.”
“I’ve never heard of her,” Jessica said. 

Spike quickly spun around and gave Jessica a look that made her flinch.

“Are you serious?” Spike said in disbelief. “She was number one on the charts for Equestria for an entire year straight! Twenty singles, each a huge hit! Cover of Pony two months ago and even a few commercials!”

Jessica shook her head. Spike turned away from Jessica in disgust to continue crafting his meal. Jess rolled her eyes as she redirected her attention to the television.

“… The starlet has moved to this town, a little town in the valley by Canterlot, to live with her friend Henrietta Cake and her husband. She has requested that we not reveal the name of the town for personal reasons. This has been Lyra Heartstrings, MANE 6 News, back to you Marcus…” the reporter announced before switching back to a news anchor back at the studio. 

Jessica held the last image of the scenery behind the reporter in her head for a minute, trying to recall where she had seen it before. It was right at the tip of her tongue, yet she couldn’t quite place it.

“Spike, where have I seen that building in the background?” she asked her chef. 

She received no answer.

“Spike! Spike?” Jessica turned to no longer see the Dragon-half standing by the stove. Instead, he was by the door, slipping on his jacket and shoes. “Going somewhere?”

“She’s here! That was Sugar Cube Corner! We gotta go NOW!” Donny said excitedly. “Hurry, Jess! Get ready!” 

“Calm down, Donny, who’s here? That ‘Pinkie Pie’ person?” Jessica asked, but her words fell on deaf ears, as Donny was already out the door. She marveled at how fast Donny could move when he was motivated. She took a big mouthful of pancakes before walking upstairs to get changed.

As she left, the television flashed several images of an old stone monument with the banner beneath it reading:
“10,000 YEAR OLD STATUE ON DISPLAY FOR FIRST TIME”

The streets of Equitem were expectedly quiet and peaceful for a Saturday morning, with only an occasional jogger making their way down the street or the occasional muted sound of rolling thunder from passing Pegasi that seemed to break the calm of the little valley town. 

But today, of course, Donny also had to be the source of another disturbance.

He ran through the streets like a bat out of hell. He toppled trash cans, rattled fences, bumped into innocent bystanders. Only when he finally reached the café did his mindless destruction come to an end. A smile grew on his red and sweaty face as he reached for the door handle, ready to meet the ex-idol. However, before he could even turn the handle, the door abruptly opened. Donny jumped back to avoid getting hit, only to lose his balance and fall flat on the cement. 

“Ow…” Spike said as he slowly picked himself up. Spike turned to face the now opened doorway, ready to give whoever opened the door a piece of his mind. But when he saw who was standing in the doorway, he stopped. She had a delicate figure, but still seemed to demand a presence. Her face was seemingly a picture of perfection that words simply did no justice to, and her purple hair fell down to her shoulders, curling slightly at the end. Seeing this new face at the door suddenly made him forget why he had come here in the first place.

“Oh my! Are you okay?” said the woman in a concerned voice.

“H-hi,” was the only word Donny managed to form, being caught off-guard by her beauty.

“Uh, hello?” the woman said, confused. The two stared at each other for a few moments, Donny in a trance and the woman out of confusion, before Jessica appeared from around the corner.

“There you are! Don’t run off like that!” Jessica said as she walked up next to Donny. “I hope he didn’t give you any trouble, Victoria.”

“None at all, dear,” said the woman. She brushed her purple hair to one side flamboyantly. Donny suddenly snapped back to reality when he saw the two greet like old acquaintances.

“Wait, you know her, Jessica?” Spike asked, breaking his gaze of Victoria.

“I met her the other day when I went to go get my jacket fixed,” Jessica said. “She runs the boutique just down the block. You’ve never seen her around?”

“Well, I would, but I never get to go out,” Donny said, shooting a look at Jessica. She rolled her eyes at him and instead redirected her attention to Victoria. 

“What are you doing here? Are you here to see this ‘Pinkie Pie’ too?” Jessica inquired.

“Actually, she’s an old friend,” Victoria responded. 

Jessica and Donny gave her a surprised look. 

“What? Is there something on my face?” Victoria said.

Her two companions shook their heads.

“Well then let’s stop looking at me and let’s get inside!” Victoria said as she waved her guests in. “A few of my other friends are here too. Don’t be afraid to mingle!” 

The trio walked in to a group of four other women excitedly conversing. Jessica hesitated a bit, not liking the idea of meeting so many people at once. She had never really been good with meeting new people; whenever someone tried to keep a conversation going with her, she would unintentionally end it abruptly. 

“Ahem! Attention!” Victoria announced in a loud voice. The group stopped conversing and turned their heads towards Victoria and her two companions. “Everyone introduce yourselves to my new friend, Jessica!”

A girl with pink hair shot out of her seat and was upon Jessica in seconds.

“Hi! I’m Diana!” said the girl excitedly. “Are you new here? I don’t remember you ever being here! How long have you been here? Do you like it here? Who’s this little guy?”

The assault of questions left Jessica a bit dizzy, but Donny stepped in before she could recover.

“I’m Donny, but my friends call me Spike,” he said, trying to act casual, like meeting a celebrity wasn’t a big thing.

Diana was about to release another bombardment of questions, but another girl rose from her seat and stopped her before she could start.

“Slow down, Diana. Give her some breathin’ room,” the girl said.  She extended her hand outwards towards Jessica. “Howdy! I’m Laura. Pleasure to meet ya!” 

“Pleasure to meet you too,” Jessica said politely. Jessica’s hand slipped tenderly into Laura’s and instantly regretted it. The Earthmover’s enormous strength had left Jessica’s hand utterly crushed. Jessica smiled meekly, trying not to look too much in pain, as Laura stepped back.

There were two other girls sitting side by side on the couch conversing, yet they seemed too into their conversation to bother greeting Jessica.

“Oh, pay them no mind, dear,” Victoria said. “You’ll get to know them soon enough.”

Jessica was still slightly anxious, but deep down, she was glad to have made some acquaintances in this town. After all, who knows when you’ll need someone to watch your back?

> Chapter 2: Noon
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Two hours. 

Two hours of absolute boredom. 

The Spellweaver had little opinion on anything the rest of the group talked about. Did you see that latest movie? Did you catch that program on MANE 6 last night? Have you tried that new restaurant near the edge of town?

“No” to every question that was thrown Jessica’s way.

Every now and then, she could latch onto a conversation for a while, but it was short lived.

The conversation was winding down when, finally, Jessica caught her break.

“I’m reading this great book about Queen Celestia’s life story. It’s called Rising Sun,” Victoria said. “Have any of you read it?”

Jessica lit up immediately. “I have! That’s one of my personal favorites,” Jessica piped. “I simply adore Jean Price’s works, but I find this particular one the best.”

“What’s it about?” Diane said, muffled by a cupcake.

“Well, like Victoria said, it’s about how Celestia came to become who she is today, all the way from her childhood to where she is today,” Jessica said. “It’s great. You should all read it.”

“Pfft,” scoffed Julia, one of the two Cloudwalkers in the room. She was reclined in her seat, feet kicked up. “It can’t be that good.”

“Says you! You don’t even read books!” Laura exclaimed from the seat beside her.

“She’s right…” squeaked the other Cloudwalker, Erika. 

“Yeah? So what!” Julia spat. “Can we just move on?”

Victoria’s posh living room grew quiet for a moment.  Everyone was gathering their thoughts to make up another topic to think about. Julia was about to start the conversation, but was interrupted by a commotion in the next room.

“Elizabeth! Hurry up or we’ll be late!” called a girl’s voice.

“Hold on a sec!” Elizabeth called from upstairs. There was a rustle, a crash, more rustling, and finally the sound of footsteps descending on the stairs. 

“Ugh, finally!” said a different voice. Moments after hearing this, a trio of young women emerged from the neighboring room, each with a backpack slung over their shoulder. 

“Where y’all headed?” asked Laura. 

“School trip to the Gardens of Mikhail!” said Elizabeth. “Did you pack the lunches, Mary?”

“You betcha!” said the young Earthmover. She flashed a bulging paper package she had been holding in her hand.

“Come on! If we don’t hurry, we won’t make it!” said the third member of the little group.

“Carly! Enough! We know!” said Elizabeth, annoyed. “Anyways, let’s go. Bye, sis!” 

She smiled and waved at Victoria. The elder waved back.

The threesome began to file out the door when Laura suddenly remembered something she had to tell her sister.

“Make sure ya bring back a couple hundred pounds of feed, Mary!” she called out, but the door shut before she had even made it halfway through her sentence. “Aw, shoot. Oh well.”

“I’ve been to those gardens,” said Erika softly. “They’re really nice.”

“Maybe we should visit those gardens sometime,” Jessica suggested. There was a murmur of approval among the six, minus Julia.

“Boring,” was all the input Julia gave on the notion of looking at a bunch of trees and old sculptures.

“You’re boring…” Erika whispered as she gave Julia a teasing look. Julia returned the look.

The four other members of the group gave each other sidelong glances.

“Movies, anybody? I’m just dying to see that one with that one guy in it!” Diane said as she sprang up from her seat.

“Gee, Pinkie, that’s real specific,” said Laura sarcastically. 

“I like the sound of a movie. How about it, Jessica?” Victoria said.

Jessica nodded, followed by the approval of the rest of the company.

“All right! Let’s jam!” Diane said as she joyfully made her way to the door.

The group emerged from Victoria’s manor to the warm sun complimented by a cool breeze. Victoria had her house built on a hill a fair distance away from town so that she could look over Equitem and the valley. Jessica looked out into the vast expanse of lush green surrounding a little town. When she saw the pictures of how the world looked when she lived in Canterlot, she would have never thought that it would have looked so beautiful. But the world was a whole lot prettier than it was in all the books she read, and she was glad it was. An airship sped by above her, breaking her gaze upon the valley, blowing the leaves off the trees as it flew off into the distance towards the ivory castle of Canterlot.



“… and this here is a statue of Starswirl the Bearded. For those of you who actually did the homework last night, you’d know he was the inventor of the crystal engine and court mage of Queen Celestia,” said the instructor of the group of teenagers who were less than interested in monuments of centuries old figures. “All right everyone! Let’s meet back up here in two hours. Don’t get into any trouble!”

The students shuffled lazily through the garden of exotic plants and marble, stopping every so often to investigate a particularly interesting plant or to converse to one another about out of school affairs. But there were three young women who were genuinely intrigued by the history surrounding them in the garden. The trio was gathered around a depiction of Queen Luna, taking pictures and scribbling down notes.

“Amazing. I can’t believe how well sculpted these all are,” uttered Elizabeth as she snapped a few photos on her camera.

“I know, right? Centuries old and they look as if they were made yesterday,” said Mary, who was attempting to draw the visage of the queen, although not very well.

“Pretty cool,” Carly said absent mindedly. She had just remembered that she hadn’t finished last night’s homework and was scrambling to complete it.

While Elizabeth was trying to get an angle to shoot again, she saw behind the statue a mass of people swarming near the entrance to the Sacred Grounds, the walled off innermost section of the gardens. It was normally sealed off from the public, but Elizabeth remembered seeing on the news that morning that they were letting the public in for a limited time.

“Check that out, guys,” Elizabeth called to her friends. The other two pulled themselves away from what they were doing to see what Elizabeth was talking about.

“Isn’t that the Sacred Grounds? I thought they didn’t let anyone in there,” Mary said, stashing her incomplete sketch in her bag. 

“They don’t, but I heard that Queen Celestia is letting people check it out for a while,” Carly said. “I think we should check it out before it gets too crowded.”

“So let’s go!” Elizabeth urged. 

They gathered their belongings and made their way to the crowd assembled in front of the tall iron gates guarding the entrance to the inner gardens. They waited for several minutes before two tall Royal Guards appeared from behind the crowd. They made their way to the front of the gates before they turned to face the people waiting eagerly to enter the gardens.

“Ladies and gentlemen,” boomed one of the guards, his voice amplified by his magic. “You will be the first people to enter the Sacred Grounds in over ten thousand years. We ask that you be respectful to anything and everything you find within. We also ask that you refrain from using any photography during your visit. Leave any crystal devices you may have outside the premises of the Grounds. And lastly, please do not touch anything. Any violation of these rules while result in immediate ejection from the Grounds and the Gardens.”

After the guard had finished, he and his partner used their magic to open the gate. It slowly swung inwards until the two sides were parallel to one another. The sound of the doors locking in place could be heard as the swarm of people began to pour through them. 

The entirety of the inner gardens was covered by a dome that prevented any sunlight from entering. The only source of light was provided by the local flora, which were only dim white lights and an occasional blue or red tint. The visitors were confined to walking on a narrow walkway surrounded by a waist high metal fence. The path was only wide enough for two people to walk side by side, but even then it was still a squeeze. After about three minutes worth of walking, the walkway opened up to a large circular platform in the center of the rotunda. 

“Wow,” was all Elizabeth managed to say when finally reached the center. 

“This place makes me feel strange,” Mary said as she looked out into the darkness of the garden. “It’s like a dream.

“Let’s go over here guys. I want to get a closer look at the plants,” Carly said as she went approached the edge of the platform, Mary closely following her. Elizabeth, however, ignored her, focusing her attention on something else.

It was a gigantic statue right in the middle of the platform.

Although it was dark in the chamber, the effigy seemed to give off a luminescence of its own. From this light, every last one of its features could be seen with an unusually clean clarity. It was a man, a man adorned in an elaborate set of armor. Although his eyes were blank and empty, his face appeared strong and defined, but a prominent goatee also gave him a sinister appearance. The strangest thing about this statue was what the man was standing on. At his feet was a mangled mess of animals both recognizable and incomprehensible. Lions, deer, goats, birds. It was a strange yet intriguing mess. 

“How strange,” Elizabeth said absently. She approached the monument until it was just out of arms reach.

It was then that she heard a ringing. 

It seemed to come from everywhere and it was slowly gaining in volume.

Alongside the ringing was a voice.

Touch it. You know you want to. Just one little touch.

Unwillingly, Elizabeth raised her arm and reached for the statue. She maintained contact for only a second, but during that second, she felt as if she was running a mile. Her heart began to pound against her chest. Sweat was flowing down her face at a dramatic rate. When she finally retracted, she collapsed on the floor, gasping and exhausted. 

“Elizabeth!”

Mary and Carly ran over to Elizabeth’s side and helped her to her feet. 

“Are you all right?” Mary said as she wiped the sweat off of Elizabeth’s face. 

Elizabeth did not respond. She was shaking and gasping for air. A crowd was beginning to gather around her.

“Come on. We gotta get her out of here,” Carly said.

The trio ran along the path in the dark garden towards the light, leaving confused onlookers behind.

It seemed as though the statue’s hard face had twisted into a smirk.

> Chapter 3: Night
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Jessica popped another chocolate into her mouth as the sizable group emerged from the theater. The movie proved to be quite exciting, yet certain parts had been interrupted by Diana’s squeals of excitement. Nonetheless, everyone was quite content, including Jessica. 

“Daring Do is so awesome!” Julia exclaimed. “I just can’t believe that the next movie doesn’t come out for another two years!”

“It’s just two years,” Erika said quietly. “Besides, you could always read the books.”

“Yeah, right!” Julia scoffed. “Nothing is as exciting as the movie!”

“I think you’d be surprised,” Jessica began. “A good book can really suck you in.”

Julia ignored Jessica’s statement and was instead beginning to drift off towards fountain in the middle of the plaza. Jessica shrugged it off and instead directed her attention to her strange, new surroundings. Apparently, the quiet part of the city where she had settled was considered “Old Town”. Here was the true heart of the City of the Valley; a beautiful cylindrical plaza, surrounded by a large number of clothing stores and posh restaurants all held together by a grand, pearl white fountain in the middle of all the hustle and bustle. Downtown Equitem was like a completely different world from the quiet little streets just several miles away.

“This place is so big!” Jessica exclaimed excitedly. “Canterlot didn’t have anything like this.”

“Are you serious?” Victoria said, aghast. “You would prefer this over that beautiful city?”

“Well, yeah, I would,” Jessica said. “Canterlot really isn’t all that special.”

“Perhaps for someone like you, but for a true fashionista and designer like me, its paradise!” the other Spellweaver exclaimed. Jessica and Laura, who had remained silent since they had left the house, rolled their eyes in secret. “One day, I’ll be up there, getting custom orders from stars and royalty! It will be grand!”

“Yeah, and maybe you’ll end up being some sorta princess,” Laura said flatly with a smirk.

“I know, right? Oh, I can see it now!” Victoria said dramatically, not catching the sarcasm in her friend’s voice. Laura shook her head and Jessica laughed a little, but Victoria was absorbed in her own fantasies now, and paid no mind to these gestures. 

The trio continued to circle the plaza, until Jessica realized they had separated from the other members of their group. 

“Hey, where did the others go?” the young Spellweaver asked.

“Dunno. Diane was always runnin’ off, so I wouldn’t doubt if she still does. And as for those two love birds-“

“Wait, so they really are-?” Jessica whispered, drawing closer to her companion.

At this point, Victoria’s phone began to ring.

Laura was growing nervous. Shoot! Why’d I go and have to say that? I told them I wouldn’t say!

“W-well, I don’t really know, but I would reckon, seeing as how they're always so close and such…” Laura said, voice fading out. She sunk her hands into her pockets and looked away from Jessica, trying to convey that she didn’t want to talk, but Jessica didn’t quite get the hint.

“Do the others know?” Jessica said, at this point absolutely giddy with the excitement of gossip.

From behind, the ringing ceased with a pleasant ‘Hello’.

“No! I mean, I don’t really know if they really got a thing or not, just a guess!” Laura said.

“Are you sure?” Jessica asked suspiciously. 

“Positive. Now just drop the whole situation and forget I ever said any-“

“What!?” Victoria screamed loudly. The pair in front turned with a start. They could hear chatter coming from the phone, followed by several gasps on Victoria’s part. There was a little more chatter before the phone was slammed shut abruptly. Victoria shot forward, knocking Jessica and Laura to the side.

“Hey! What’s the big idea?” Laura reached forward and grabbed Victoria by the shoulder. The Spellweaver tried to wrench free, but there was no escaping the herculean grip of an Earthmover.

“Laura! Let go of me this instant!” Victoria said. Her voice was full of panic and concern.

“Wait! What’s going on?” Jessica asked, trotting up next to Victoria.

“It’s Elizabeth! She’s in the hospital! I’ve got to go now!” Victoria exclaimed. Upon hearing this, Laura let her hand go limp, allowing Victoria to go free. She started towards her car.

“Wait a minute, Mary was with her! What if something happened to her too?” Laura asked herself. “Hey, wait for me!” She ran to catch up with Victoria, who was already fumbling with the keys.

“What about the others?” Jessica said frantically. She began to approach the car as well “Guys, wait! I’m going too!”

Jessica barely had enough time to get into the car before it gave an incredible roar and took off.



Julia and Erika sat together quietly on a bench in the park just outside the town plaza. The sun was setting in the distance, bathing the lake in front of them in a glorious twilight. The floating city that hung just above the sun’s reach was beginning to light up like a fire; it began slowly, starting with the highest and lowest points first, until the entire metropolis was akin to a second sun in the sky. It was a sight that was rarely seen by most Cloudwalkers who lived in that great city, but the members of the Royal Air Force were well acquainted with the sight. Julia must have seen it hundreds of times while she was patrolling the night skies, but it never got old to her. She marveled quietly at its beauty, trying to act as if it really was no big deal, but she couldn’t help but smile every time she saw it.

“Beautiful, isn’t it?” Erika said quietly. 

“Yeah,” Julia said in awe. “I love seeing it lit up like this. There really is nothing like it, you know?”

Erika smiled and gave a gentle nod in agreement. They sat there silently, looking into the sky as the sun sunk more and more into the mountains. Erika slid slightly closer to Julia. She opened her mouth to speak, but couldn’t make any words come out. She tried again, but was cut off by Julia.

“Do you want to come out and do some cloud clearing tomorrow? It’ll be nice to see you get back in a PEGASUS,” she said as she stretched out on the bench, her arm extending behind Erika. Julia changed when she was around just Erika. She felt as though she didn’t need to put up the façade she always had going.

“Oh, of course, I’ll try,” Erika whispered.  She slid more towards Julia and again tried to ask Julia a question that she had been keeping for quite a while. She failed to do so again.

“Hey, Erika,” Julia said as she turned towards the shy Cloudwalker. Erika turned as well, and the two locked eyes. “You and I, how long have we known each other?”

Erika blushed slightly and turned away, not out of embarrassment, but in an attempt to recall the years. It finally hit her. 

“Close to fifteen years,” she said, turning back. “It’s a pretty long time when you think about it, huh?”

“Yeah,” Julia replied. “And all those years, we had always been close, right?”

“Of course.”

“But lately, I’ve felt that something is different between us. Like we’re close on a whole different level.”

Erika and Julia locked eyes once more. 

The roar of a far off engine ripped through the silence.

“I… I feel the same, too,” Erika said, ignoring the engine. 

They began to lean in closer and closer.

Erika closed her eyes as she drew closer to Julia.

A million things flashed through both their minds in a blink of a second. A flood of inexplicable emotions raged through their bodies.

What is this I’m feeling? Can this be-?

Their hearts were practically bursting through their chests as they felt the other’s breath on their mouth.

They had all but made contact when a sudden ringing interrupted their tender moment.

The two separated quickly, in a sudden and unnatural disgust that quickly disappeared, yet still enough to bring the two apart. Erika looked away to the lake and sunk into the fur of leather jacket, redder than she had ever been, as Julia reached into her pocket to retrieve her phone. She checked the caller ID, only to find it was Victoria.

“Hello?” she said with disdain.

“We’re at the hospital. I’m afraid you’ll have to find another ride back to the house,” the Spellweaver’s voice said through the speaker. “I have to go now.” She hung up.

“Who was it?” Erika asked without looking at Julia.

“Just Victoria. Had to go to the hospital,” Julia said, snapping the phone shut.

“Oh, dear!”  Erika gasped. “What happened to her?”

“I don’t think anything happened to her, but that she was going to the hospital for someone else.”

“Oh. I see.”

“We also lost our ride. Gonna have to hoof it back home to Victoria’s.”

“Why don’t you just call Anthony?”

Julia considered this. She saw Thunder’s jet in the air when they were walking into the theatre several hours ago, meaning that he was already off duty. She nodded and began to dial his number into the phone. The two stared into the darkened horizon, the moon beginning to take its place in the sky.

Erika reclined in the bench, and smiled.



Diane had been swamped the second she walked out of the theatre. Her attempts to remain anonymous were failing horribly. Her pink hair, a rarity amongst Earthmovers, made her stand out too much and any attempts at dying it were futile. After signing a few dozen signatures, she had been able to push her way into the plaza, where she quickly ducked into the nearest Equestrian Outfitters. Ten minutes later, she emerged discreetly, hair hidden in a black hoodie. Not quite her style, but how else was she supposed to live without getting harassed by fans all the time? She made her way to the nearby park, a quiet place that few people went to at sunset. She spotted Julia and Erika in the distance and started towards them excitedly. She stopped short when she saw the two sit on a bench and decided to leave them alone. She walked away slightly disappointed, but was content with seeing her friends happy. Diane smiled as she plopped on a bench by the lakeside. She was remembering the first time she came here with her parents. It was a warm summer day and all the ducks were gliding across the top of the water, the sun setting just as it was now, and a there was cool breeze that seemed to defy the summer heat. Now here she was again, in the same place she remembered all those years ago.

“Finally! I’m finally back home!” Diane said ecstatically. She tried to skip one more stone on the water, only to have it skip a perfect six times. She squealed and fell back in her seat.

She hoped that this would never go away. Hoped that it would never change. 

A loud roar shook the calm air. 

> Chapter 4: Awakening
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

From experience, Victoria knew how quick the press could be. 

When she was part of the newspaper, she and her team would almost always be the first on the scene, even before the authorities arrived. As time dragged on, though, she grew weary of this pattern. Arriving first meant seeing everything down to the last bloody detail. It was something meant for only those with nerves of steel and a gut of iron, something meant for an ace reporter. Something not meant for Victoria. So she left, but left with a long-lasting respect for the trade.

But as she sat in the Emergency ward, swamped with fifty different reporters from fifty different news stations, her regard for the journalist quickly dropped. 

“Ms. Raines, a question! What happened? Is your sister alright? Who were those two other girls with her? Hey, stop shoving! I got here first! Hey!” 

The crowd’s shouts all mixed and melted together to form an immense roar that resonated down the halls. Nurses and patients alike were pouring out of the rooms, confused and upset at the impressive boom of the crowd. Victoria sat amidst this crowd, Jessica at her side, and Laura propped in front of the two in an attempt to hold of the horde. 

“For the last time, I don’t want to answer any questions! I have no idea what’s going on, or why you’re even here!” Victoria cried. “Just leave us alone!”

“Ya’ll stay back, now! You heard her! She doesn’t wanna answer none your darn questions! Hey! Watch where you’re putting your hand, buddy!” Laura yelled as she attempted to push the crowd back. Luckily, they were all Spellweavers and Cloudwalkers, making them slightly easier to push back, but the mob’s net force was still threatening to overpower the single Earthmover.

“What could your sister have done to have caused such a ruckus?” Jessica asked Victoria, moving in close so that she could hear.

“How am I supposed to know? She’s always getting herself into trouble. Oh, Elizabeth…” Victoria let her head fall into her hands. A muffled groan followed.

Jessica put her hand on her friend’s shoulder. Victoria lifted her head back up and nodded to her friend in acceptance of the gesture, then let herself sink into the seat, but was by no means able to relax. She had heard no word from the doctors since they arrived half an hour ago and even now, all sorts of medical personnel were running in and out Elizabeth’s room. Just what was happening in that room?

“I wonder how long we’re gonna be here? I better call Donny and tell him I’m going to be late,” Jessica said as she reached into her purse for her phone. She flipped open the device and navigated through its menus until she reached Spike’s number, which she proceeded to dial. As she did so, she saw a doctor emerge from behind the front desk.

“All right, that’s enough! I’m going to have to ask you all to leave. It’s late at the patients need their rest,” he said to the crowd. They resisted at first, but when he threatened to call the police, it was as though a fire had just started in the building. They bolted, and when the lobby was clear and silent once more, the doctor disappeared behind the desk as quickly as he had appeared.

“Hello? Jessica? Where are you guys?” Donny’s voice sounded through the phone’s speaker.

“At the hospital with Victoria and Laura,” Jessica said. “What are you doing?

“Nothing. Just watching T.V,” he said, boredom quite evident in his voice. Jessica wasn’t surprised to hear his lack of concern as to why they were at the hospital.

“I don’t know when I’ll be getting home, so just lock up when you go to bed,” Jessica said into the phone. A man dressed in scrubs had tapped Victoria on the shoulder and was asking her to come with him. “I have to go now. Bye, Spike.”

“See you later. Tell Victoria I said hi, by the way,” Donny said before Jessica shut the phone with a snap.



Elizabeth was lying in a bed in the very center of the hospital room, surrounded by an array of machines that were all hooked up to her. She had fallen asleep to the sounds of whirs and beeps, the cold and stingy smell of a sanitized room in her nostrils. When she heard people walking into the room, she awoke from her sleepless slumber, and turned her head slowly towards the door.

“Oh, Elizabeth!” Victoria said dramatically as she took up Elizabeth in a gentle hug. “How are you? What happened?”

“Hi, sis,” the young Spellweaver said weakly. Her head pounded terribly and wasn’t able to formulate the response to her sister’s questions. “Hi, Jessica.”

“It’s hard to say what happened to your sister,” the doctor said as he approached the bed with a clipboard in hand. “Physically, she’s fine, but we can’t pick up any sort of radiant energy on any of the scans.”

“What does that mean?” Victoria asked the doctor as she stepped back from the bed.

“There are no signs of the usual magic field that Spellweavers have,” the man said as he did something on a nearby machine. “It shouldn’t be possible, seeing as how a Spellweaver’s life is tied to their magic, but it seems as though she’s completely dry.”

“Is she going to be okay?” the bigger sister asked as she approached the bed again to grip the younger’s hand. 

“We have her hooked up to a crystal machine that’s providing an artificial field, so she’s fine at the moment,” the doctor said as he walked to another machine and placed his hand on it, “but unless she somehow restores her original magic field, she’s not going to be able to leave this bed.”

“Oh, dear,” Victoria said as she looked at the occupant on the bed. She was in pitiful condition. Her face was a pale white with dark rings beneath her eyes. Elizabeth’s light purple hair had turned a deep black, an adverse affect of the unusual magic drain. She could barely open her eyes for only a few seconds as well.

“Do you have any idea how something like this could have happened?” Jessica asked as she too took a place bedside.

“No clue. I’ve never seen anything like this in all my years as a doctor,” the man said as he placed the clipboard down on a table next to the wall. He put his hands in his pockets and knelt against said table. “Like I said, something like this shouldn’t even be possible.”

Jessica scratched her head. What could have done this? There were no spells that could directly interact with another person’s magical essence. Or at least, none that she knew of. And neither was there a machine ever constructed that could do such a thing since there wasn’t any reason to take someone else’s magic.

“Visiting hours end in thirty minutes. We’ll let you know if we have any developments,” the doctor said as he walked towards the door. “Good night.”

The two Spellweavers nodded in acknowledgement before turning their attention towards Elizabeth once more. Unsurprisingly, she had drifted off to sleep in the few seconds that the doctor had been talking. Victoria fell back into a nearby chair dramatically.

“What terrible luck,” she said grimly. She began to sob lightly. “What are we going to do, Jessica? What if the doctors can’t find a way to cure her?”

Jessica pulled a chair next to her friend and sat down. She placed her hand on Victoria’s shoulder as she had done in the lobby and gave her a smile.

“Don’t worry. They’ll find something,” Jessica said, words full of earnest hope for the wreck that was in the bed next to them. “They have to.”

“I hope you’re right, Jessica,” Victoria continued to sob. “I really hope you’re right.”

Her quiet tears echoed through the silent hallways.



The moon was high in the sky now, its light bathing the land below. It stretched far and wide, found its way into even the darkest corners of the land. But there was one place that it seemed to ignore, as if it feared to even go near. Here, in the shadow of that dark place, was where a Royal Guard was just beginning his night patrol. Drake hated the night shift, especially when he was sent to guard over some of the creepiest places in Canterlot like the Royal Museum or the Catacombs. But tonight had to be the worst out of any of the places he had been. He swore to himself that he would quit if he was ever assigned to this post, yet here he was, sitting at the foot of the Sacred Grounds with no one around. And what was the deal with that? Royal Guardsmen usually work in tandem with a partner, but tonight he had no one to converse with, no one to take his mind off the work he was doing. Drake shook his head and leaned against the wall of the giant dome behind him, silently cursing his commanding officer and everyone else who recommended the night patrol.

“Oh, Dear Celestia, why me?” Drake lamented. “Why do I always get stuck with the worst posts?”

He reached into his bag that he had brought with him and drew out a newspaper and a cigarette. At least night guards were allowed to carry a bag for food and other items due to how long their shifts were. He ignited the cigarette tip with a spark of magic and had it float into his mouth for a puff. He then conjured an orb of light to illuminate his paper and had it sit just above him. He relaxed a little, comforted by the light and the smoke, and was fully prepared for the long night ahead. 

“Now then, let’s see what we got…” Drake said to himself as he examined the newspaper headlines. He skipped the front page and went directly to the sports section. Nothing too interesting, except for maybe the Fillydelphia Griffons finally pulling through and making it to the finals. He perused the rest of the paper, trying to see what story caught his attention, until he finally found himself at the front page again. It was here that he finally found a story that caught his eye. 

“Incident at the Royal Gardens? What’s this about?” Drake uttered to himself. He brought the paper in closer. It read something about a girl who had been knocked unconscious after coming into contact with the statue inside the Sacred Grounds during the time people were allowed to enter the place. The dome was sealed off from the public for the rest of the day.

It was a pretty big event, by the looks of it, but no one had even thought of telling Drake about it. 

He balled up the paper angrily and threw it into the air, incinerating it with a bolt of magic as it fell. He instantly regretted it. Losing his only source of entertainment for the night, the guardsman crossed his arms and sucked angrily at his cigarette. When he realized that all that was left was the butt, he spat it out on the ground and stamped it out. 

“Great. Freakin’ great,” Drake said loudly. “Now what the heck am I supposed to-!”

He was cut off by what sounded like a large explosion that sounded off behind him, and was thrown to the ground by the resulting shockwave. He picked himself up, confused and panicked, and grabbed his nearby lance. He spun around, trying to find the source of the crash, but saw nothing.

Nothing, save for the light that was now pouring out of the gates to the Sacred Grounds.

Drake gripped his weapon tightly as he ran towards the thick iron gates that were now enveloped by a deep purple light. He stood just outside, debating whether or not to go in. Should he call for help? Was there time? What was even going on? Cautiously, Drake began to open the gates that creaked horribly as they did so. He walked in without even waiting for them to open, his spear pointed forward and ready to thrust. As he walked further and further in, the light became more and more intense. It felt as though it was coming from everywhere, but the dome still remained dark along the outermost rim. He reached the center of the rotunda, where the strange light was at its brightest, and it was here that he stopped cold in his tracks.

In the middle of the light was a writhing, deformed mass of animals and strange creatures.

And at the center of the heap was a man.

He was crouched, obscuring much of his features, but Drake could see that his back was covered in green scales and his arms were thick, muscular, and similarly covered with scales. His hair was an unnatural white and seemed to be as alive as the animals surrounding the man lying on the floor.

“What the hell is this?” Drake said, voice full of fear and panic. He tried to step back, but fear had frozen him in place. And he stood there, helpless, as the crouched figure slowly rose to his feet. As he did so, the mass of creatures began to crawl up his body. Drake watched in horror as they melted into his body, crying and screeching as it happened, replacing the sickly scales with pale white skin. All that remained after the strange and terrifying sight was an enormous man, standing at what must have been at least twelve feet, completely naked standing in the center of the dome. The light had died down, and now the only sources of light were from the plants around the structure and from the unearthly glow of the gigantic man. His gruesome yellow eyes surveyed his enclosure until his gaze fell upon Drake, who stood with his mouth agape in terror.

“Where am I?” the man’s voice boomed. Drake continued to stare at the sight before him in silence.

The tall being laughed loudly.

“You are right to be speechless at my magnificence!” he said. His handsome face twisted into a sinister smile. “And you should feel lucky. You are the first to gaze upon the greatness that is Titanus in over ten thousand years!”

Drake tried to say something, but choked on his words, producing nothing but a stutter. Titanus guffawed and began to walk closer to the hapless guardsman. 

“Tell me then. Where am I?” the giant Titanus growled.

“C-Canterlot! The Royal Gardens!” Drake blurted out in a single breath.

“Royal Gardens! She put me in the garden like some sort of ornament?!” the colossus chuckled. “Well, at least she doesn’t have bad taste, eh?”

Drake wasn’t sure whether or not to humor him and instead remained silent.

“Tell me, do you have any idea how boring it is to be trapped inside a statue for ten thousand years?” Titanus asked. “No, I don’t think you would. Well, let me tell you, it is quite boring. So, now that I’m out, how about we play a game?”

“Celestia help me!” Drake cried as he began to sprint towards the exit, regaining control of his body. He wasn’t sure what the Giant was planning but he wasn’t going to stick around to find out.

“Where do you think you’re going? We were going to play a game!” Titanus laughed as he cracked his knuckles.

“Oh well, I still get to have my fun!”

Drake screamed as he felt his body being torn apart.

Hundreds of glittering butterflies flittered where the Royal Guardsman once stood.

One by one, they caught fire and turned to ash, floating gently to the ground without the slightest sound.

Maniacal laughter echoed throughout the dome before silence returned once more.

> Chapter 5: Just Like Old Times
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Since time immemorial, the Lord Kings and Queens governed over nature all across the planet. The sun and moon in the sky, the wind that blows across the land, and there was one who harmonized the world and kept it in perfect balance. But as time marched on, they faded, and now only one Lord Queen remains in the land of Equestria, and she has taken it upon herself to perform the duties of her old kin in an attempt to keep her kingdom in the state of glory that had withstood the test of time.

For those who reside in the valley of Equitem, a unique sight can be experienced everyday at dawn when Queen Celestia leaves her chambers and raises the sun. When her doors open to the dark night, she instantly radiates the entire cliff upon which Canterlot is perched. This glorious light then begins to flood down the mountain, cascading into the valley below like an illuminated waterfall. And then, once her domain is covered with her own brilliant light, she calls out to the heavens and beckons for the sun behind the mountains in the East so that the whole continent of Equestria can be bathed in her warmth. Once the deed is finished, she disappears once more into her chambers to await the next transition of the heavens.

Julia was one of the witnesses of this miracle on this particular morning. 

She usually wasn’t up this early, but today the entire Royal Air Force had received orders to perform an early morning sweep of the entire Equitem area directly from Queen Celestia herself. It was a very odd request that caused quite a bit of ruckus amongst personnel, but it was heeded nonetheless. 

Julia had been awoken by the call and was now on her front steps, tying her black boots and zipping up an old bomber jacket that had been passed down through her family for generations. The warmth it had provided for its original keeper had not left it and was still a reliable piece of clothing. Julia was grateful for this warmth during cold winter mornings like the one she had woken to today. She shoved her hands deep into the pockets of the coat and made her way to the base, the beautiful sunrise still vivid in her mind.


Celestia walked silently through the halls of her beloved castle, a place that she had called her home for hundreds of thousands of years. There were days when she would walk aimlessly through it, fondly remembering the times she spent getting lost within its walls with her sister when it was first built. But those days had long past. Her sister, her brother, all of the original inhabitants had long since disappeared, leaving Celestia the only being left in Equestria to have seen it in its prime.

At least, until last night.

Today, Celestia was not wandering. She walked with a purpose.

She strode through the wide, dark hallways with a quickness fueled by fear and panic. She had taken every precaution necessary to ensure the safety of the castle and of Canterlot, but even with all the security, it wasn’t a matter of if he could get in, but when. She prayed that it was enough to slow him down as she made the last turn in her journey through the castle and arrived at her location.

It was a gigantic iron door almost thrice the size of Celestia. Upon it was a detailed engraving that had told the tale of Equestria up until the War of the Flies when the door and the chamber behind it had first been constructed. It radiated every color in the spectrum and even some of which only greater beings such as Celestia could see. While quite the spectacle, it was a sight which none but four were meant to see.

Celestia approached the door, ignoring the familiar sight, and rest her hand upon it. Almost instantly, the door sprang to life with the tremendous sound of metal crashing on metal. The lights grew brighter and brighter until it was as blinding as the sun before it died out abruptly, plunging the hallway into darkness once more. The door began to swing inward slowly with an unsettling creak, but Celestia hurried in before the door stopped moving. Once she passed the threshold, she flooded the room with light and revealed to her the deepest and most well kept secrets of Equestria.

It was an armory filled with the weapons and tools that belonged to her and her original companions, except maybe the word ”filled” didn’t really apply anymore. In the very center of the room were four armor stands made to face you as you walked in, but only two of these stands still bore armor. To the right of each stand was a rack that held a weapon and, unlike the armor, these were all filled save for one. Lining the walls and on the walls themselves were spaces where trophies and mementos of ages long past stood but many of them had gone from Equestria with her sister.

Celestia gazed at all these objects and felt a flood of memories rush into her with such overwhelming force that she was on the verge of weeping, but she pushed past this as another emotion within her began to overpower the nostalgia. She walked first to her set of armor and ran her hand along the chest of it. The ivory and gold armor bestowed upon her by her father brought many memories back to her, but this is not the armor that she would wear today. She walked past the stands and went to the very back of the room where the objects she had been searching for were lying silently.

It was another set of armor, but this one was unlike the others. It was not forged through ordinary magic like hers, but instead by the dying will of two individuals who she held near and dear to her heart.

It radiated five distinct colors in five different parts of the suit. 

The right gauntlet was a brilliant cyan.

The left gauntlet was a shining gold.

The right greave was a glimmering orange.

The left greave was a radiant pink.

The breastplate was a luminescent white.

In the center of the breastplate was a circular design with five depressions in the very center which were also arranged in a circle, and within this inner circle was another welt. All of them were filled with a marble sized, glowing orb whose light corresponded to one of the parts of the set of armor into which they were embedded in, save for the center sphere. That particular stone was instead linked to a tool which sat to the left of the display:

A deep purple long bow.

Celestia breathed a sigh of relief when she saw the display. 

Thank Cosmos! It’s all still here! 

“Yes, my dear, but for just how much longer?”

Celestia felt a cold chill run down her spine as she heard these words.

She turned around slowly, hoping that those words had occurred in her head, a mere illusion created by her own fear and panic. Yes, that was it, she just imagined it. There was no way that he could have made it this deep into the castle already. She had put up enough safeguards around Canterlot and the castle to hold off an entire army. It was all just imagined.

Never had she ever been so wrong.

Standing in the doorway, casting an ominous shadow down the hallway behind him, was Titanus.

“Long time, no see,” he began, “my dear Celestia.”

“Impossible. How did you make it past all of the-?” Celestia started, but was cut off by a roaring laughter.

“Those pathetic shields you put up? Your little metal birds that you have flying around? You can’t be serious! You honestly thought your puny magic and machines could keep me away?” Titanus mocked. “That…Is…Hilarious!”

“What do you want, Titanus?” Celestia said, trying to keep her composure. Titanus moved away from the doorway and drew closer to Celestia, stopping by the ebony and silver armor standing next to the Sun Goddess’s ivory and gold set.

“Hmm… What do I want? Well, I need a new pair of boots, and I’ve always wanted a dog. Oh! And a little red fire truck with lights!” Titanus chortled as he flew up into the air and began to float around on his back. The Lord Queen could see that he was wearing the same flamboyant, nonsensical attire that he had worn during the last days of his kingship. 

Celestia looked at him uneasily, remembering this madness.

He landed back next to the black armor and brushed off the pauldrons with a flourish.

“I see you’ve kept my old armor in perfect condition. How nice of you,” Titanus said as he inspected the inky breastplate. “Even though you know I hate it.”

A blue pulse was emitted from his left hand that shattered the plate and sent the rest of the armor flying straight into the wall. Celestia was also caught in the shockwave, but was only moved back a few feet. From the wreckage, he drew up a long and ornate greatsword that was roughly half his size.

“But I think I’ll keep this. I really missed this little gem,” he said as he ran a finger along the side of the blade. The metal turned a bright red and sizzled wherever he touched it. 

“Enough of this!” Celestia yelled, angered at the disrespect Titanus had for the armor her father had made for him. “What do you want!?”

Titanus rolled his eyes and stuck the sword into the stone floor like it was butter.

“You know what I want, my dear Celestia,” he said calmly, a radically different tone than earlier. “I want the Elements, your kingdom, and a little bit payback for turning me into a garden gnome.”

“You must be madder than I thought. I won’t just lie down and let you take the Elements and the Kingdom,” Celestia said as she made her own greatsword fly to her from its stand. It was a mad gamble to fight him without the Elements, but she couldn’t risk breaking the powerful seal that was placed on it and make it vulnerable. “Leave now or face my wrath!”

“Bahahahahaha! You? Face me?” Titanus gave a wild guffaw as his body burst into black flames. They danced madly about him, writhing and twisting all over his body until they disappeared in a plume of smoke. Replacing them was a reptilian suit of armor that encompassed the Giant’s entire body up to his head and clung to it tightly like a second skin. He rolled his shoulders and the armor flexed and stretched along with him. 

Celestia’s armor began to glow from its stand. It suddenly flew off and attached itself piece by piece onto Celestia, her flowing white dress dissolving into stardust as it did so. Her light was burning so bright that a normal being would have been singed by its intensity. Titanus smiled as he saw this familiar sight and began to chuckle slightly before exploding into another insane tirade.

“Oh! I feel all tingly inside! I’m so excited!” Titanus laughed madly, throwing his head back while he did so.

During this move, Celestia made the gambit and lunged forward. She swung her greatsword with an incredible swiftness and aimed it straight at Titanus’s head. Celestia could see a spark and feel her sword stop in mid swing. Before she could realize what happened, she felt her ribs crack as Titanus slammed his fist straight through Celestia’s armor. A millisecond later, she was pinned against the wall by two swords at the shoulders. All of this occurred before her brain could register any pain. She cried out when it finally caught up with her.

The burning light that had engulfed the room moments earlier had been reduced to a soft glow.

“Pfft! You barely stood a chance when you were backed by Luna and Estraius! What could you possibly hope to do by yourself?” Titanus mocked as he slipped his hand around Celestia’s neck and tightened it with an intense force. Celestia could see his yellow, catlike eyes in full clarity. “There would be no point in ending this here. That was way too easy!”

He smiled, exposing a perfect set of white teeth with a pair sharp fangs in the front, and let his grip slack. He backed away and gave another round of insane laughter. The Giant walked to the glowing set of armor and looked upon it with a mix of awe and disgust.

“Why… do you want the Elements?” Celestia coughed. Her divine blood began to trickle down her cheek like liquid gold. “You…can’t even put the armor on. It wasn’t made for you…”

“To destroy them of course! Why would I let you keep the only things that can tickle me?” Titanus said confidently. In one hand, Celestia could see a black flame begin to grow bigger and bigger. Soon, the room had been plunged back into darkness save for the sickly glow that was emitted from Titanus’s hand. 

With a flourish, he launched the flame forward towards the armor like a bullet.

Just inches before hitting, the flame redirected and shot back at Titanus faster than it had launched.

“What the-!?”

The flame came into contact with his arm and ripped it clean off.

“Gah!” Titanus cried as he clenched the stub at his shoulder. “Owieowieowieowie! That hurt!”

This was her chance.

Celestia gave a cry as she ripped the blades from her shoulders and shot them at Titanus with her magic. They hit him square in the chest and continued to run through him all the way up to the hilt before they changed trajectory and slammed into the floor, pinning Titanus to the floor in the process. She ran to the Elements and let her hand rest on the invisible seal that protected them. 

“Hear my words! Scatter your power! Find those who are worthy and bestow upon them yourselves! Go now!” Celestia yelled as her entire body began to glow intensely. The room was flooded with the combined light of the Elements and her own luminescence.

“No! Damn you, NO!” Titanus screamed, spitting jet black blood.

The Armor of the Elements shone even brighter for just an instant before it burned out like a bulb and fell to pieces on the floor. The armor along with the bow crumbled as it lay and turned into dust.

“Damn you, Celestia! The next time we meet I swear that I will kill you!” Titanus said before his body was engulfed by a dark flame. When it had died out, he and his sword were no longer there.

“Titanus...why?”

Celestia collapsed on the cold stone floor and the room returned to darkness.